#1 Seed, Are You Surprised?

[coolguy]

I'M NOT SHOCKED!!!

The pats going 16-0 and scoring 38 points in sb38 shocked me

tb12 went 16-0 with a average old nonathletic defense.

I always said if the pats had speed on defense they would be deadly.

 

[RobertWeathers]

GB with rodgers would be a real test though.

GB is going to the Super Bowl in the NFC. I am convinced of this.

 

[jcdavey]

no way is GB going to the sb lol

falcons eagles or saints before them

 

[RobertWeathers]

no way is GB going to the sb lol

falcons eagles or saints before them

GB has a better defense that any the teams you mention.

Playing the Pats tough w/o their starting Qb gave them a ton of confidence.

They certainly should not be dismissed easily.

 

[mgteich]

The falcons have to win 2 games to reach the SB. The packers have to win 4.

GB has a better defense that any the teams you mention.

Playing the Pats tough w/o their starting Qb gave them a ton of confidence.

They certainly should not be dismissed easily.

 

[Patriot_in_NY]

I'm the eternal optimist, homer fan, and I pegged them at 11-5. I was confident we'd win the division. Not overly confident we'd get the bye, let alone the #1 seed.

The only thing I think I could say I believed right from the start was that dumping Moss was the right move. I liked that from the start.

So yeah, I surprised, and elated. I think this team is very special and there is something about them that reminds me of 2001. We were no-namers back then, and we have a few legit superstars on this team (TB, WW, BB VW) now, but the rest of them (particularly defensively) are mostly rooks or guys the rest of the league considered castoffs at the start of the season.

 

[Sciz]

GB has a better defense that any the teams you mention.

Playing the Pats tough w/o their starting Qb gave them a ton of confidence.

They certainly should not be dismissed easily.

And could easily not make the playoffs...

 

[RobertWeathers]

The falcons have to win 2 games to reach the SB. The packers have to win 4.

Understood. Just getting a weird vibe from that team.....

 

[RobertWeathers]

And could easily not make the playoffs...

Quite possible, but I expect them to beat a Bears team that has nothing to play for.

 

[coolguy]

Understood. Just getting a weird vibe from that team.....

I take my last statement back.

A-rod is doing this without a good runningback, while Rivers has always had a good or great one.

Rivers is the 4th best qb in the league only because he is more proven.

 

[Its_The_Patriots]

I am not surprised. After all, this is the New England Patriots....

 

[RobertWeathers]

I take my last statement back.

A-rod is doing this without a good runningback, while Rivers has always had a good or great one.

Rivers is the 4th best qb in the league only because he is more proven.

I think they are about the same.

Actually Rivers had a lousy running game in 2009, but prior to this year he had his best season.

 

[coolguy]

I think they are about the same.

Actually Rivers had a lousy running game in 2009, but prior to this year he had is best season.

Rivers playing in the afc championship on a broken leg was impressive.

 

[furley]

Honestly, before the season, I did what most would do and picked out the presumed losses on the schedule. But, once I looked closer at the schedule, I began the believe that New England could finish the regular season 12-4. That prediction was put to the test once Moss was traded. But, I'm surprised by the team's play on the road. It was here where I saw the losses.

I'll say, the win that surprised me the most was versus San Diego, and the loss that surprised me the most was versus Cleveland. Clearly, the Cleveland game has become the formula to which teams are trying to defeat New England. Run the ball. The idea is to keep Brady off the field. Green Bay and Buffalo also employed this tactic to a resounding effect.

I'm not surprised that they've earn a playoff bye. But, I didn't foresee them being the top seed. Given my concerns about the defense, having home field advantage throughout the playoffs makes me feel a lot better. That is, Belichick has more time to game plan for potential opponents. And playing at home can be good for young players (helps to build confidence and build momentum) with little to no playoff experience. Players such as McCourty, Spikes, Cunningham and Chung in particular.

 

[convertedpatsfan]

I'm a bit surprised. I thought we'd have one of the best teams come play-off time, but I thought we'd struggle way more in the first half more as the young guys learned on the job. To be 6-2 at the halfway point was amazing, and I certainly wasn't expecting to run off 7 wins after that either. Just a really great season so far.

 

[Oceanviewer1]

Are you kidding? I had this team at 9-7 when the season started. Mankins holding out, backfield by commitee, shaky D-line, porous secondary,BB taking over the all the coaching jobs, new punter, rookie tight eands? I thought they would be luck to be 9-7. As the season has gone on, I am absolutely amazed at what BB has done to re-tool this team with FA's, rookies and veterans with character (Alge Crumpler). I defy anyone to compare the job he has done to revbuild the team while while continuing to field a top tier team. Can you think of anyone who has been able to do that in the modern era? I can't.

 

[Brady_to_Moss]

Are you kidding? I had this team at 9-7 when the season started. Mankins holding out, backfield by commitee, shaky D-line, porous secondary,BB taking over the all the coaching jobs, new punter, rookie tight eands? I thought they would be luck to be 9-7. As the season has gone on, I am absolutely amazed at what BB has done to re-tool this team with FA's, rookies and veterans with character (Alge Crumpler). I defy anyone to compare the job he has done to revbuild the team while while continuing to field a top tier team. Can you think of anyone who has been able to do that in the modern era? I can't.

I must say..Brady has really put his team on his back and i love it :rocker:

 

[BrainTrust66]

I've been a Pats fan for 35 years and I can say that I was only more surprised in 2001 and in 1985. Given the schedule, the uncertainty of the young defense, and the early injuries (Warren, Bodden) I had predicted 9-7 with 10-6 at the outside if things went well.

Anyone who says that they weren't suprised is either a ridiculous fanboy/fangirl or wasn't really paying to how many holes this team had at the end of last year.

As Clark said in Christmas Vacation, "If I woke up tomorrow with my head sewn to the carpet, I wouldn't be more surprised than I am now"

That being said, I'm loving every second of it!:rocker:

 

[Uncle Rico]

What Tom Brady does is get the ball to the guys he trusts the most. That's how every QB operates. He still isn't "spreading the ball", he just has more reliable targets. How often do you see him looking to Tate or Edelman in a game? Is it because they are NEVER open? No, because those guys are his last reads and he trusts Gronk, Branch, Welker, Hernandez and Woodhead far more than he trusts them. Last season he only had Moss and Welker as guys who could consistently get open and catch the ball, so he naturally looked for them. It's that simple.

I think you're arguing semantics and have a half-valid point. I agree, the change isn't necessarily in Brady's approach, it's in who he has. But I'd disagree he's not "spreading the ball." With five guys he can trust, he's spreading it very nicely.

Anyway - -fun thread. My most optimistic assessment of the team pre-season was to say they might be like the 1995 team, with the mix of veterans and first-through-third-year players. I thought they might gel late like that team did, get in the playoffs hot at the right time and see what happens. But really, the way they've done it is well beyond that team. And if they do get to Dallas, they won't be nearly as wide-eyed as that team.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

Surprised. Had them at 11-5 after attending training camp. I was optimistic that the D would mature later in the season and that we would go on a run after some early mid-season losses against the best teams. Although Brady was over the top intense in training camp I failed to connect the dots on his incredible season. My bad.